I must admit, one of the things I was most worried about when I made the decision to work from home was staying on a normal work schedule and committing myself to working during normal work hours. So far the transition has proved pretty smooth! I haven’t been tempted to take advantage of my new-found freedom and have been proactive with my time. I’m determined to keep it up!
I’ve also managed to remain on my normal eating schedule and have made it a point to sit down for real meals rather than snack through the day, as I sometimes do when I’m at home on the weekend. There’s something different about a “work day” at home that gives me more motivation to stick to healthy eating and veggie-packed meals.
This afternoon, I enjoyed a salad for lunch.
- Romaine lettuce
- Carrots
- Tomato
- Feta cheese
- Holland-style jarred onions
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
After downing almost an entire batch of wheat germ brown sugar cookies myself over the course of the weekend, this salad did its thang and got some vitamins and nutrients back into my system.
Success!
High School Superlatives
On Saturday I received a neat little package in the mail from my high school. I was recently interviewed by a copywriter from Fremd High School’s student newspaper who contacted me with questions about my blog. The interview was published in The Viking Logue on Friday, May 27 and the advisor of the paper sent me a copy to see for myself.
Coincidentally, the issue of the school newspaper I received included the coveted “Senior Issue.”
In high school I remember loving the senior issue. It showcased the lives of a handful of exceptional students who were graduating that year. The swimmer who placed first at the state meet in several races. The singer whose passion for music landed her a scholarship to her top-choice college. The volunteer whose devotion to helping others resulted in the creation of a new local charity to help those in need. As a freshman I had no idea who these students were, but I loved reading about their passions and successes.
And then, covering the middle spread of pages of the senior issue, the Senior Superlatives were displayed.
Best Dressed, Best Smile… all the usual superlatives. My high school also took it up a notch with some more creative awards: Brownest Nose, Most Likely to Be a Millionaire, Biggest Party Animal, Worst Driver, Most Likely to Marry for Money, Most Intelligent, Prettiest Eyes, Couple Most Likely to Get Married/ Divorced, among many others.
At the time, I really didn’t think much of it. I laughed at the funny awards and smiled at the nice awards. They didn’t really affect me and I took it all in stride.
Now that I’m older and randomly stumbled upon this issue of my high school’s newspaper, I feel a bit conflicted. Are senior superlatives a good idea? Do they encourage comparisons and competition? Are they a fun part of tradition? Can people take the awards with a grain of salt, or are they too personal?
Honestly, I don’t know. I personally was okay with the awards as a teen, but, now that I’m an adult, I wonder if they affected some of my peers in a negative way.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
Questions of the Afternoon
What do you think of superlative awards? Are they all in good fun or can they be potentially problematic?
Did you win a superlative award in high school?
I actually won “Couple Most Likely to Be Married” with my high school boyfriend. Oops. 
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My school as a whole did away with them for exactly that reason…they didn’t want to promote competition/bullying. My brother, who is only 3 grades above me, did have them, and as a freshman (he was a senior) reading his grades’ superlatives, I was really amused. My English class senior year did have a superlative ceremony…it was all in good fun. Some of them were “most likely to fall asleep during class” and “most likely to fall down”. They were a lot of fun mainly because we were close class so all the superlatives made sense and everyone won one. I was “most cheerful”. 😀
I totally agree with you! As I was reading the list of awards I was thinking “whoa those are intense!” and I am surprised they fly with parents like they are today!
In high school I won two superlatives; most friendliest and best hair. The first one made me happy. I was glad so many of my peers “liked” me and thought I was a good girl! The second one made me laugh. Mainly because I was a ponytail kinda girl! LOL.. but I was able to wear my hair curly and then blow it straight; not a novelty but hey they thought it was nice! LOL
hahaha I didn’t mind superlatives but I do think that it promotes competition and comparison which I’m not really for!
I was just going through my senior yearbook a few weeks ago and thinking the same thing about the Superlatives! I remember it being very competitive in junior high, but not so much in high school. We had a graduating class of 476 and it was an entirely write-in ballot (2 boys and 2 girls won each superlative), which obviously tended to skew towards a select group who were more well-known to the rest of the class. Somehow, I think having categories like, “Most Attractive” and “Best Body” probably sent the wrong message, but I never would have thought that at the time!
I won Class Writer, and the picture was taken on the day that I was the SICKEST I’d ever been! It could have been worse, though; I’m wearing the same denim jacket as the girl who won Most Attractive in the photos!
I was in charge of the senior superlatives and added a lot more categories when I was editor of the yearbook–that’s where we published them. I think most people took them in stride. They’re fun and harmless as long as you have the right attitude aka don’t take them too seriously!
I think they can be fun but also hurtful–it causes a lot of unneccessary comparision. I got voted Most Dramatic in my class…lol.
In high school I was voted “most likely to move far away” haha. I had study aboard in high school and was going to college in CA (from MA). I ended up finishing college in NM and study abroad again in Wales…I guess it was fairly true!
But I agree that it might not be the best idea to have more of the serious ones…like best eyes, prettiest, etc. That can be damaging to some people and high school is already hard enough. Fun things like “most likely to move far away” are more of a way to have a good laugh at the end of the year!
My only superlative was given to me by my dorm mother in college: “Most likely to goose someone in the elevator.” I’m embarrassed (proud?) to say it still fits like a glove. 😉
I was voted as “most likely to invent something useless.” At the time I didn’t take it too seriously but a few years have passed and I am a little insulted by the superlative given to me. I think that yearbook teams need to keep things positive and only use superlatives that make teens feel better about themselves and embrace the good qualities that other people have. It is hard enough being a teenager without feeling like the people you go to school with are targeting you and making you feel less about yourself. Seniors are about to be entering the adult world where maturity is necessary in most cases. Growing up were told if we have something mean to say about someone we should keep it to ourselves. So why are seniors that are about to be entering the adult world are publicly practicing the opposite of what they were taught by their family’s and schools, surely beats me.
I won “Most Talkative” in High School, haha!
and Freshman year in KD I won, Most likely to been seen together with Whitney.
Both still holding pretty strong. 🙂
xoxo,
Alicia
I think the perspective we have now in our mid 20s (I’m 25) makes your school’s superlatives seem funny and lighthearted, but I know as a high school senior, I would’ve taken them way too seriously! Granted, I was in a class of 760 and we still had kids who won multiple superlative titles. Definitely a popularity contest. My favorite was the girl who won “prettiest eyes”–she didn’t even have the green eyes she won for, she wore colored contacts every day! So silly now, but I was incensed when I got my yearbook that year!
Senior Superlatives were such a big deal at my school! I actually got in a fight with my best friend about it because of a superlative I didn’t want in the yearbook! I got Biggest Talker… which was kind of like gossip and I felt that was embarrassing to be remembered as! Still it is ridiculous to think that something that silly was such a big deal! I also won preppiest so thats fine haha! But we had Most Likely to Save the World, biggest flirts, cutest couple, dynamic duo etc.. and of course these superlatives we set in HS never come true!
I think it depends…in middle school I received “Unsung Hero” for cheerleading and I remember being so happy and grateful to be honored with that title. Then in high school I remember it was purely a popularity contest and everyone who received a superlative was expected to. In college, my sorority handed out superlatives to the graduating seniors. I was miffed to discover everyone thought I should receive “Future Soccer Mom.” I admit that I’m motherly but I’ve never seen myself as such necessarily. There were also a few more hurtful ones like, “Most Likely to Miss Chapter Because of Band Practice” (since when is that a superlative?!) They weren’t exactly creative, and they ended up leaving some with bad tastes in their mouths. I think in some instances it’s better to do without them!
I just remembered that my house did them for the seniors, too (in addition to Senior Roast). I ended up with “Most Likely to Be on CAB” (Chapter Advisory Board) and it was actually mildly insulting, since it basically meant I was the most likely to call someone on breaking the rules/pretend I was still in college. That was (*thankfully) one of the more tame ones!
I think that I am conflicted as well, Julie. My high school did not do superlatives.. simply for that reason – to avoid competitions, hurt feelings, hurt egos.. blows to the self-confidence of others..
And I must say.. I DO NOT feel like I missed out on a crucial part of high school because there were no senior superlatives in the year book.
Funny thing is.. my MIDDLE school year book had superlatives.. which in hindsight.. I think is a terrible idea. 12 and 13 year old boys and girls are SO impressionable.. and winning.. or losing.. certain superlatives could really affect someone of that ages way of thinking!
My highschool banned the negative ones because the didn’t want to appear to promote things like “party animal” or “most likely to fall off the face of the earth” (although we all know who would’ve won those anyway, people “campaigned” for biggest party animal like it was their job)
I won “most likely to succeed” and although it was completely a surprise and while I take it all with a grain of salt sometimes when I think about all the faith my peers had in me I feel like I really am destined to succeed so I work hard so I can reach that goal.
My high school had “Biggest Appetite” the year I was a senior. I was HORRIFIED when I saw the ballot. One of my (very thin) best friends and I decided to take matters in our own hands and “campaigned” for her to win the superlative so that a potentially really mean nomination wouldn’t happen. She won, everyone got a good laugh, and it was her crowning glory. Crisis averted 😉
Oh, and I won Best Car!
We had only positive ones and they were voted on by students. I thought they were all positive. I was voted “Most Likely to be in a Music Video” because I sang in a band in high school.
I was voted ‘Most Smiley’ in High School. Obviously not one of the bad ones…but ours were pretty tame after reading your list. I might have been kind of upset had someone named me Most Likely To Marry for Money or Most Likely to Get a Divorce. I think the idea is fun but I would rather schools stick to ones that don’t have negative connotations connected to them. Maybe the reason you were able to laugh it off was because the one you got voted wasn’t that bad. But think about how you would have felt had your senior class voted you as Most Likely to Marry for Money?
Ours was mostly a popularity contest. I won none which was no surprise to me.
I used to work in an alternative school and we decided to have some fun with those. We made up a whole of bunch that either meant what it said or meant the opposite. For example our Best Attendance award went to the kid who rarely showed up. Most Likely to Sleep Through an Earthquake to the kid always sleeping in class. Did it affect the kids negatively I have no idea but they did seem to enjoy it.
I think superlatives are fine and harmless, but maybe that’s because my high school eliminated any “physical” superlatives the year before I graduated. Ours were pretty straightforward: Most Likely to Succeed, Biggest Party Animal, etc. I don’t remember it being a huge deal, nor do I remember any competition or hurt feelings. I was runner-up for “Most Friendly.” Hey, not bad for graduating with a class of nearly 400, right?!
My sorority gave out superlative awards at the end of each year. “Best Closet” was always the most prized award! I think the funniest one I ever got was most likely to drive a minivan. Still proving that one wrong!
My high school did superlatives instead of Prom King/Queen (they were announced at Prom) — and for that reason I think it was more interesting and fun. There was a huge list of items that we all voted on. It was just fill in the blank – so nobody was nominated, nobody “rallied” to win, and everyone laughed about them. I think it was a good way of honoring the people that made an impact on the Sr. class without putting the spotlight on just two people.
I was not picked for anything (which, for someone who was shy/socially awkward, was fine by me!) – but if they had done Longest Legs I would have SURELY won! 🙂
I agree, high school superlatives can be tricky. We had a couple of mean once that did not make it into the paper but the people from the yearbook made sure to leak them and a few students got really upset.
I got lucky and was voted “best humor” and “face of the year”, so yeah didn’t complain 😉
I like the idea with the funny superlatives though, after all, they are meant to be just for fun and shouldn’t be taken seriously!
I agree, back in high school, they seemed fun but reading the list of awards now I sort of cringed. I feel like in high school all of the awards weren’t surprising – they went to people that everyone expected would get them, so maybe therefore no one compared too much? Although, my friend won “Class Overreactor” (what kind of award is that?!) and got supremely upset… self-fulfilling prophecy 🙂
I agree, I think they can be hurtful. I remember getting nervous when ours were presented in high school. Luckily I ended up with one of the silly ones, most likely to be a weather (wo)man. I went to school to be an architect. Who knows, maybe I’ll have a mid-life career change.
Like you, I LOVED reading the senior superlatives! I took them for the fun and light-hearted tradition that they are intended to be…but that’s probably b/c I received one! I am still not sure how I pulled this one off, but I was voted “best looking.” I can only imagine how disheartened I would have been had I been overlooked. But like so much in high school, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
I can see both sides of the argument, but I’d say that I’m okay with them. I think they’re fun, and I can remember looking forward to who was going to get what all four years of high school up until we were seniors.
I actually received a superlative myself…”Most Likely To Brighten Your Day” 😀 Bahahaha
We had some superlatives, but nothing that I think would be insulting to anyone. The problem, I found, was that a “group” was elected to write them and there weren’t any regulations about using everyone in the class. It was obviously how the people who wrote them felt about everyone else based on who got what. It was more of a popularity thing, but I think everyone sort of expected it.
oh wow I just found out about your transition! God bless ya on your new chapter and have fun 😀 yes, I think these awards can be pretty bad depending on what it is and whom it’s geared to
The problem with them in my school was basically all the “cool” kids got them. I did end up with one – “Most likely to be the next bill gates” but only because I knew nobody else would automatically be thought of for that one and I asked all my friends to vote for me so I could get one no matter how lame it was!
I’ve never really thought of it that way. For me, not everyone could be “most attractive” only one person could, so it didn’t bother me that I wasn’t considered the very most attractive person in my school. I did however win Most Likely to Succeed and Most Intelligent, but they made me choose between the two so I went with the first.
They banned superlatives at my high school before I was a senior! It would have been kind of fun to see who got what but I guess they can be excluding or hurtful. It would depend on the class and school environment.
I think they’re meant to be fun, but I can see how they could be hurtful. I won “most gullible” in 8th grade, and I always laugh about that now!
Most of our high school superlatives were pretty good natured, except two: Most Likely to still live at home in 20 years, and Most Likely to Surprise Everyone at the Reunion. Everyone voted for both, but most likely to live at home actually got banned because the administration realized that it wasn’t very nice (no kidding). Most Likely to Surprise ended up just being the weirdest 2 kids in our class somehow. Oh well!
Superlatives are fun. I got “Most Likely to be Famous,” which made me feel good! haha. but I know one person was really offended that she was called, “Most Sketchy” .. Maybe some of the superlatives should be more positive!
I was voted “Best Dressed” and now I am probably the “Worst Dressed”….the business world gives you little freedom to dress well…
Also- My husband was voted “most likely to own a drycleaner!” He was and still is always decked out in Polo and Brooks Brothers- ha! I thought that was a funny one.
that’s an awesome one!
That’s so funny that you were voted most likely to be married…to someone who isn’t Ryan!! Haha.
I think those things are fun; at least they were in my school. My graduating class was 800+ people, but somehow a few people won votes for multiple categories. I won “Barbie” ( my ex-BF was Ken…lovely) and Best Personality. I also got Best Dressed, but I (embarrassingly) had to “choose” the two categories I wanted.
i went to a religious highschool, so ours were always tame and nice….and boring. “most athletic” “most likely to go to hollywood”….yadda yadda. i think the most ‘negative’ one we had was “worst driver” lol.
I was voted both “biggest flirt” and “most likely to trip at graduation”. Because I was the landslide victor for the second one, that was what was photographed for the year book and biggest flirt went to my best friend. My mom and my step-dad were voted “cutest couple”!
Our school had too many students to have superlatives! I think I only knew 3/4 of the students I graduated with (that’ll happen in a class of 1,100) !
But I always liked when camp or certain classes gave them out – it was like the teacher or your peers respected what made you unique. Throughout the years I’d gotten “Most likely to…” be an English Teacher, become a famous Director, get lost in a parking lot and to always dance ghetto. haha!
I student taught in the elementary school by Fremd! The pep band came a couple of times for read and connect ^_^ what a small world!
was it pleasant hill??? that was my elementary school!
It was hunting ridge but I did go to pleasant hill several times for different events while I was there 🙂
I was “Little Miss Sunshine” and was NOT expecting it, especially as another girl (more popular) was campaigning for it HARDCORE. i’m actually proud/fond of it 🙂 and it makes a good ice breaker fact
I was not really a big fan of them in high school because I went to a tiny school and I felt they reinforced a lot of negative (and sometimes hurtful) stereotypes about people. I like the ones that are kind of random and wacky, but not the ones that can make people feel bad about themselves or unpopular if they’re not voted for one.
So, basically, I’m conflicted!
Haha! That’s so funny. I was “most school spirit” in 8th grade, which I thought was pretty great! I think the awards are fun and should definitely only be taken with a grain of salt. No one will remember the awards a year later anyway.
Because I went to a boring all-girls school, we did not have senior superlatives. However, my sister was the editor-in-chief of her high school newspaper and thus was in charge of the superlatives. I helped her to tally up the “results” and it was interesting to see who was voted what. Although I only knew a handful of the names, I agreed with a majority of the votes. I felt that some of them were obvious, but also a bit embarrassing. Who would want to be voted most likely to become a golddigger? Hopefully no one takes the superlatives to heart–they definitely could negatively affect someone sensitive!
My school was a lot like yours — they made up a bunch of goofy ones like “most likely to be late,” “teacher’s pet,” and “class flirts.” I think they’re just a lot of fun. Some of them could have had a negative effect I suppose — for example, I don’t think it’s fair to have “most likely to succeed” as a superlative. That could make kids feel really bad about themselves if they don’t win. Plus, who can define success anyway? It’s different for each person.
We always had a boy and girl for each superlative. I won “Best Physique” and tied with another girl for “Nicest Eyes.” I’ll take both of those 🙂
At my high school, it was a combination of a popularity contest as well as who could campaign the most votes! I haven’t really given the idea much thought – but I am sure it could have a negative affect on some.
I always thought of it as harmless and a good laugh 🙂
I have mixed emotions on superlatives. I was voted “Most Stressed.” Shocking, I know. I must say, it hurt my feelings a little bit! I was school president and did so much for the school and THAT was my legacy?! HOW RUDE 🙂 But as “hurt” as I was, I know look back on this superlative with fondness. Our superlatives were pretty harmless so all-in-all, I think they were a good thing 🙂